The Lord of the Sabbath

Summary: Mark’s goal in his gospel is to reveal Jesus as the Messiah, the unique Savior and Lord, the promised King of a new kingdom. While this is a bold claim, he proves its truth as he performs miracles. While these great works were amazing, not all were amazed. Beginning with the paralytic, Jesus enters a season of great conflict with the religious leaders that will end at the cross. Why the controversy? Jesus had come announcing a kingdom different from the one anticipated. The Jewish leadership expected a kingdom marked by power to overthrow the Romans. Jesus came and challenged the traditions and customs of these leaders. In this story, we see the choice between following the rules of men or following the Son of man who is the Lord of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is the battleground where outward religion is confronted and defeated by the gospel.